• biography

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    Josep Planells Schiaffino is a composer and conductor who has collaborated with numerous ensembles and orchestras, including the WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, Basel Sinfonietta, Lucerne Festival Academy Orchestra, Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken, Sächsische Bläserphilharmonie, Bayerisches Landesjugendorchester, Danubia Orchestra Óbuda,Orquesta Nacional de España, Bilbao Orkestra Sinfonikoa, Orquestra de València, Real Filharmonía de Galicia, Orquestra Simfònica de Les Illes Balears, Orquestra Simfònica del Vallès, Ensemble Modern, Ensemble Mosaik, Zafraan Ensemble, Remix Ensemble, and the Kritisches Orchester. His works and performances have been featured at major venues and festivals such as the Theater Basel, Kölner Philharmonie, Fondation Royaumont, Lucerne Festival, Slovenian Philharmonic, Rudolf-Oetker-Halle, Bockenheimer Depot, Frankfurt LAB, Teatre Principal de Palma, Palau de la Música Catalana, Auditorio Nacional de España, Palau de la Música de València, Theaterhaus Stuttgart, Casa da Música Porto, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Fundación Juan March, Palau de Les Arts, and the Wittener Tage für neue Kammermusik.

    His music has received numerous awards, including the Roche Young Commission from the Lucerne Festival, New Scenes IV from the Deutsche Oper Berlin, the DAAD Prize, 1st Prize “Vorhof der Völker” in Berlin, 3rd Prize in the Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Hochschulwettbewerb, and 1st Prize in the INJUVE Competition. He has received commissions from institutions such as INTERAKTION Conducting Workshop, Zafraan Ensemble, WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, Orquesta Nacional de España, INAEM, Sigma Project, VibrArt, Trio Musicalis, CNDM, and the Beethoven-Haus Bonn, where he was composer-in-residence as part of the Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes program. From 2022 to 2024, he was composer-in-residence of the Jove Orquestra de la Generalitat Valenciana.

    As a conductor, Planells Schiaffino has worked extensively in opera, assisting Franck Ollu in productions of Rihm’s Jakob Lenz at the Staatsoper Berlin (Dir. Andrea Breth), Dusapin’s Medea at the Salzburg Festspiele, Macbeth Underworld at the Opéra Comique Paris (Dir. Thomas Jolly), and Xenakis’ Oresteia at the Theater Basel (Dir. Calixto Bieito), where he made his operatic debut in April 2017, conducting two performances. He studied conducting with Fred Buttkewitz in Berlin and participated in masterclasses with Peter Rundel in Porto and Peter Eötvös in Budapest and Munich. In 2015, he won 1st Prize for Interpretation at the Hanns Eisler Competition, and in 2019, he worked with Matthias Pintscher and Heinz Holliger as part of the Lucerne Festival Conducting Fellowship.

    In recent years, he has collaborated regularly with Ensemble Modern, participating in projects such as Story Water (Emanuel Gat Dance) and Dresden Frankfurt Dance Company meets Ensemble Modern (Jacopo Godani). In 2020, he made his Spanish opera debut conducting Die Zauberflöte at the Teatre Principal in Palma de Mallorca (co-produced with Opera Zuid Maastricht). Since 2022, he has worked regularly at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, making his debut in its Foyer Series during the 2021-22 season with the premiere of Entre los árboles by José Río Pareja. In 2023, he assisted Josep Pons in the award-winning production of Parsifal (Dir. Claus Guth), and in 2024 he collaborated with Pierre Bleuse on the premiere of Orgia by Hèctor Parra (Dir. Calixto Bieito). That same season, he made his conducting debut at the Pierre Boulez Saal in Berlin.

    Born in Valencia in 1988, Planells Schiaffino earned his Clarinet Diploma from the Conservatori Superior de Música “Joaquín Rodrigo” and completed his Composition Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees under Arnulf Hermann and Hanspeter Kyburz at the Hochschule für Musik “Hanns Eisler” Berlin. He also attended masterclasses with Salvatore Sciarrino, Brian Ferneyhough, and Wolfgang Rihm and received scholarships from institutions including the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes, Förderverein of the HfM “Hanns Eisler”, La Caixa/DAAD, the State of Berlin’s “Elsa-Neumann-Scholarship”, and the Peter Eötvös Foundation. He completed a PhD at the University of Cambridge, supervised by Richard Causton and funded by an Honorary Vice-Chancellor’s Award from the Cambridge Commonwealth, European & International Trust and a Pigott Doctoral Studentship.

    During the 2021-22 academic year, he was Guest Professor of Composition at the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya (ESMUC), and since 2023, he has conducted various symphonic and operatic projects at the Conservatori del Liceu. He has also given lectures at the Conservatorio Superior de Música de Castilla y León, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, and the University of Cambridge.

  • CURRENT PROJECTS

    La Invención de Morel

    I have been awarded a 'Beca Leonardo' from the BBVA Foundation to compose a chamber opera based on Adolfo Bioy Casares' novel 'The Invention of Morel'. It will be my second opera after Aufbruch, premiered in 2019 at the Deutsche Oper Berlin.

    Reina Sofía Award of the Ferrer-Salat Music Foundation

    The jury, chaired by Philippe Manoury, has awarded the XLII Reina Sofía Award to the work Metalepsis. The world premiere will take place on October 17, performed by the RTVE Symphony Orchestra and conducted by Christoph König at the Teatro Monumental in Madrid.

    Les Siècles

    Assistant Conductor to Franck Ollu. Program includes Boulez's Pli selon Pli, Éclat-Multiples and Debussy's La Mer. Concerts in Paris (Champs Elysées), Munich (Prinzregentheater), Bucarest (Ateneum) and Berlin (Philharmonie).

    The Cunning Little Vixen

    Assistant Conductor to Josep Pons (Dir: Barrie Kosky).

    20-30 September 2025, Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona.

    Fate cuore, amici; veggo terra (WP)

    Commissioned by ENSEMS. Juan Pérez Floristán, piano.

    27 September 2025, Palau de Les Arts , València.

    Real Orquesta Sinfónica de Sevilla

    Works by Franz Joseph Haydn. Álvaro Lozano Cames, Cello.

    9 October 2025, Teatro de la Maestranza, Sevilla.

    Der fliegende Holländer

    Richard Wagner: Der fliegende Holländer

    Der Holländer: José Antonio López

    Senta: Maribel Ortega

    Daland: Carlo Colombara

    Erik: José Ansaldi

    Mary: Elisabeth Gillming

    Steuermann: Jorge Juan Morata

    Stage Director: Emilio López

    Orquestra Simfònica del Vallès & Cor Amics de l'Òpera de Sabadell

    Performances in 2025:

    28 & 30 November, 2 December at Teatre La Faràndula, Sabadell

    4 December at Teatre Fortuny, Reus

    7 December at Palau de la Música Catalana, Barcelona

    9 December at Teatre L'Atlàntida, Vic

    Contrafactum: de Cabanilles (WP)

    World Premiere of the complete cycle. Commissioned by ROSS.

    Real Orquesta Sinfónica de Sevilla, Teresa Ribeiro Böhm (cond.).

    4 & 5 December 2025, Teatro de la Maestranza, Sevilla.

    Joven Orquesta Nacional de España

    Assistant Conductor to Jonathan Nott. Program includes Liszt's Mephisto Waltz No. 1, Shostakovich's Symphoy No. 5 and my own Metalepsis.

    January 2026. Concerts at Auditorio de Zaragoza, Palau de la Música de València, Palacio de Congresos de Toledo, and Auditorio Nacional de España (Madrid).

    Arlecchino

    Ensemble Sonido Extremo, Jordi Francés (cond.).

    2 February 2026, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid.

    Orquestra Simfònica Conservatori Liceu

    Program includes Gustav Mahler's Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen and Johannes Brahms's Symphnoy No.4.

    13 February 2026, Main Hall, Liceu Conservatory, Barcelona.

    Liceu XXI

    Program to be confirmed.

    19 February 2026, Main Hall, Liceu Conservatory, Barcelona.

    Orquesta y Coro Nacionales de España

    Program includes Johannes Brahms's Schicksalslied and Symphnoy No.4.

    29 March 2026, Auditorio Nacional, Madrid.

    Klangforum Wien

    Program includes Georg Friedrich Haas's Hommage à Bridget Riley and Mauricio Sotelo's Homenaje a G. F. Haas (WP).

    25 May 2026, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid.

  • compositions

    OPERA

    La invención de Morel

    2021-

    Work in progress

    Aufbruch

    2019

    chamber opera in 13 scenes after a libretto of Deborah Kötting 

     

    for soprano (Violetta), tenor (Friedrich), baritone (Hans), 2 dancers, 2 actors and ensemble

    (1/1/1/1 - 1/1/1/1 - Perc(2) - Pno/Hp - 2/1/1/1)

    Duration: 50'

  • ORCHESTRA

    Atlas Mnemosyne

    2024

    (4/3/4/3 - 4/4/3/1 - Timp/Perc (5) – Pno(Cel)/2Hp/Org - Chorus (SATB) - 16/14/12/10/8)

    Duration: 23'30''

    Contrafactum: de Cabanilles

    2023/2025

    (2/2/2/2 - 2/2/2/0 - Perc (3) - Cel/Hp - 8/8/6/4/3)

    Duration: 13'

    Con sprezzatura

    2020

    (2/2/2/2 - 2/2/2/1 - Timp/Perc (2) – Pno/Cel/Acc/Hp - 6/6/4/4/2)

    Duration: 17'30''

    Torna

    2019

    (4/3/4/3 - 4/3/3/1 - Timp/Perc (4) – Pno/Cel/Hp - 14/12/10/8/6)

    Duration: 16'30''

    Schlussformen

    2015

    (3/3/3/3 - 4/3/3/1 - Timp/Perc (2) – Hp - 12/10/8/6/4)

    Duration: 15'

    Variationen

    2011

    (2/2/2/2 - 2/2/2/0 - Timp/Perc (2) – 12/10/8/6/4)

    Duration: 12'

  • ENSEMBLE

    Arlecchino

    2024

    for 6 musicians (A.Fl/B.Cl/T.Sax/Vl/Vc/Pno)

    Duration: 8'

    Nu

    2021

    for 10 musicians (1/0/1/0 - 0/1/1/0 - 2 Perc -Cel- 1/0/1/1)

    Duration: 8'30''

    Vergessensformen

    2016

    for ensemble (1/1/1/1 - 1/0/0/0 - Perc - 2/1/1/1)

    Duration: 9'

    Vier Stücke

    2014

    for 11 musicians (0/2/0/0 - 1/1/0/0 - Timp – 2/1/2/1)

    Duration: 8'30''

    Flamme Violette

    2011

    version for piano and 5 instruments (Fl/Cl/Vl/Vc/Perc)

    Duration: 7'30''

    Nocturnes

    2010

    for ensemble (1/1/1/1 - 1/1/1/1- Perc/Pno - 2/1/1/1)

    Duration: 9'

    Stramps

    2009

    for 8 musicians (1/0/1/0 - 0/0/0/0 - Perc/Pno - 2/1/1)

    Duration: 8'

  • SOLO & CHAMBER MUSIC

    Fabula

    2022

    for violin, bass clarinet and piano

    Duration: 12'

    Album

    2020

    for piano trio

    Duration: 18'

    Cavall

    2018

    for tenor saxophone, drum set, double bass and piano

    Duration: 6'

    Streichquartett

    2016/18

    for string quartet

    Duration: 14'

    Sextett

    2017

    for wind quintet and piano

    Duration: 13'

    Drei Stücke

    2016

    for cello and piano

    Duration: 8'

    Zehn Stücke

    2016

    for saxophone quartet

    Duration: 17'

    Satz

    2015

    for violin and piano

    Duration: 7'30''

    Vorspiel

    2014

    for brass trio

    Duration: 3'30''

    Triosatz

    2013

    for violin, cello and piano

    Duration: 8'

    Quintet

    2013

    for wind quintet

    Duration: 12'

    Stade du miroir

    2012

    for 2 sopranos, 2 saxophones and percussion

    Duration: 9'

    Quartettsatz

    2011

    for string quartet

    Duration: 10'

    Flamme Violette

    2010

    for piano

    Duration: 7'30''

  • videos

    COMPOSER

    Con sprezzatura (WDR)

    2021

    WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, Baldur Brönnimann

    Con sprezzatura (OCNE)

    2021

    Orquesta Nacional de España, Anja Bihlmaier

  • CONDUCTOR

    Falla: Danza ritual del Fuego (from "El Amor Brujo")

    2024

    Ensemble Dissonance

    Ljubljana Festival

    Die Zauberflöte (teaser)

    2020

    Teatre Principal de Palma de Mallorca, Orquestra Simfònica de Les Illes Balears

    Lachenmann: ...zwei Gefühle...

    2017

    Danubia Orchestra Óbuda, Helmut Lachenmann

  • Contact form

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    L'Impresa Management

    Manel Sánchez Tortosa

    https://limpresamng.com

    L'Impresa Management
    Buenos Aires, 9, 08029 Barcelona (Spain)
    +34 677 398 063